100 Years Ago: Soldiers complain about duty at mines; second blizzard hits Weld

100 years ago in the Greeley Tribune-Republican, third week in December 1913:

Three Ault men, all soldiers in the Colorado Militia, and whose service terms expired, returned home and said they would not rejoin the unit. All the units are in the Colorado mountains, guarding mines where the miners are on strike. The Ault men all agreed it was difficult service, standing guard day and night in the sub-zero weather. State leaders for the militia said it is getting more difficult to recruit new soldiers because so many have returned home with complaints about how they were treated.

The Tribune-Republican editorial urged the U.S. Congress to pass a bill to limit illegal immigration. The paper said too many aliens are coming into the country and not following regulations for immigrants.

The area is still recovering from a heavy snow that fell in the first week of December, leaving three feet of snow in Weld County, and drifts as high as 10 feet. In Windsor, the Charles Benoy Blacksmith Shop had its roof collapse from the snow. Farmers and ranchers are still searching their land for some of their livestock lost in the storm.

The Shaw Dry Goods Co. in Greeley is having a special Christmas sale from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday. During that 2-hour sale, you can get women's corsets for $1.19, silk hose for 95 cents, and ladies' shoes for $2.85 per pair.

At the Progressive Club of Greeley, Judge J.C. Nixon gave a talk about his recent trip to Germany. He told of how German cities were now allowed to rule themselves, and of how municipal law was much more progressive than in the United States.

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When a couple from Dacono came to the Weld County Courthouse to get a marriage license, they were refused by County Clerk J.E. Snook. When the man admitted he had been married before, but was divorced eight months ago, Snook told them of the Colorado state law that requires a man or woman must be divorced for one year before they can marry someone else. The couple left the courthouse, saying they would go to another county or state, where the clerks were more cooperative.

H.D. Parker of Greeley took his cat, Billy, to his dentist to have the cat's sore tooth pulled. The cat resisted the anesthesia, so it took two boys and one man to hold down Billy while the tooth was pulled. His owner said Billy is much better today, without the sore tooth, and he almost smiled at his owner.

In a United Press story, a newspaper investigated the decreasing popularity in men with whiskers, and found that whiskers are beneficial to your health. A doctor said whiskers can prevent toothaches, tonsillitis, sore throats and kindred evils. But the story also said the only men growing whiskers today are those who are evil and feel that whiskers hide their evil faces, or men who are too lazy to shave.

On Dec. 19, another blizzard hit Colorado, almost three weeks after the Dec. 1 blizzard that left three feet of snow in Greeley, and five feet over Denver and most of Colorado. This blizzard, while not as deep as the first, came with strong winds that blew over the roads and paths that were dug out earlier. Traffic throughout the state was stopped, and again, cattlemen and farmers had to find and rescue their livestock.

At the Auburn School east of Greeley, the students and teachers began to notice a strong odor coming from the school furnace, and they abandoned the school, thinking the building was on fire. They discovered, however, that bees had formed a hive in their ventilation system, and although the bees were now gone, they left a lot of honey behind, When the furnace came on, the honey melted and dropped inside the furnace to burn. The smell of burning honey made it appear the school was on fire.

NUNN — Forty young women in this northern Weld County town have formed a club to refuse to date any man who uses slang or cuss words. One young man said he hopes the girls will get over this "crazy notion." Meanwhile, the young men of Nunn are busy trying to find substitutes for slang and the occasional cussword.

"100 Years Ago" is taken from the original pages of The Greeley Tribune, The Weld County Republican, and, when they merged, The Greeley Tribune-Republican. Questions or comments may be sent to mpeters26@comcast.net.